


Just a Man, Just a Boy

by cleanlittlesecret



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series, VRAINS Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 08:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15553227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleanlittlesecret/pseuds/cleanlittlesecret
Summary: On a certain day of the year, the five highest-ranking members of the Knights of Hanoi gather for dinner.(Written for the prompt "family.")





	Just a Man, Just a Boy

Shadows stretched across the driveway by time Asou parked the car in front of the Kougami house. Kyoko left the passenger’s seat with the shopping bag she had been holding in her lap for the drive, and as Genome, Asou, and Spectre unloaded more bags, she entered the darkness of the doorway and knocked. Of course, she had her own key to the place same as the other three, but she waited until the door opened from inside and revealed the person she had missed.

“Good afternoon, Ryouken-sama,” she said as Ryouken blinked at her and the trio gathered behind her. “Sorry for the intrusion. I hope we’re not bothering you.”

“It’s fine, but what are you doing?”

Kyoko smiled. “May we come inside?”

“Of course,” Ryouken said, and they were inside before he could ask any further.

Dr. Kougami’s house had always felt more like an observatory than a home—every room huge and empty, each wall a curve of windows, a place where one was supposed to look at the world without touching it. The kitchen wasn’t much better, too sleek and clean to show a teenager lived there, but a flock of plastic bags on the counter gave it a semblance of life, and as the other three returned outside to grab the last of their purchases, Kyoko said, “Ryouken-sama, you’ll be in charge of the fish.”

With no one else to question, Ryouken stood beside her as he opened the bags and raised an eyebrow at their contents. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re the one who’s best at cooking fish, and we’re all here to have dinner.” Kyoko watched for a response, but all she got was the same look he had given the groceries. “Is that all right with you?”

Ryouken considered, his eyes still swarming with questions of his own, before nodding. “Yes, it is.” A yelp sounded from across the room as a bag Spectre had been carrying ripped, and Ryouken darted to grab a glass bottle before it could smash against the floor.

“Thank you, Ryouken-sama.” Spectre gathered the torn bag into his arms to prevent further spilling before reaching for the bottle, but a glance at its label made Ryouken narrow his eyes.

“Who brought alcohol here?”

“What kind of dinner would it be if we didn’t have anything to drink?” Genome took the bottle from Ryouken’s hand in passing, and Kyoko gave Asou a look as he entered the kitchen last.

“Go easy on that stuff, Genome,” Asou said in the flat tone of a man who had expected this. “We’re guests here, and those two are still too young to drink.” Kyoko hurried to unpack the food and assign tasks before Genome could argue, so the kitchen settled into the hum of food prep as all conversation focused on the work before them.

As Hanoi’s presence had grown in the VRAINS, the five of them had stopped meeting in the real world in favor of having all their interactions online. They were safer that way, less likely to draw attention to their real selves, but the tradeoff was that Kyoko couldn’t remember the last time she had seen their leader’s true face looking back at her. Ryouken was all too skilled at disappearing into Revolver’s mask.

Soon a spread of food covered the dinner table, and they all sat to eat, but as the others fixed their plates, Ryouken cleared his throat. “Is this something to do with the Knights of Hanoi?” He spoke slowly, each word careful as if he had been turning the question over and over in his head, and Kyoko’s eyes prickled when she smiled. He really had no idea, huh?

“Ryouken-sama, do you know what today is?” Spectre said, and Ryouken frowned.

“It’s your birthday, boy.” Genome returned to scooping food as if Ryouken’s eyes hadn’t gone wide.

“You turned eighteen today,” Asou said.

Grimacing, Ryouken shifted in his chair. “Thanks for the consideration, but this isn’t necessary.” He looked at Asou and Kyoko. “You know I don’t like celebrating my birthday.”

Of course they knew that, although Kyoko couldn’t say if Ryouken had always disliked his own birthday, or if he’d developed that trait after the Hanoi Project took his innocence away. She gently shook her head. “It’s not much of a celebration—just dinner. Besides, it’s been a while since we were all in one place together.”

Ryouken looked away, keeping his eyes up even as he stared at nothing in particular, and after some thought, he let out a short sigh. “Fine then.” That small approval allowed the dinner to resume, and soon it became easy to forget the reason for their gathering. It was just a meal they shared, a meeting with no set goal.

After the food had been eaten and the kitchen had been cleaned, Genome and Asou turned to debating what to do with the leftovers, but when Ryouken slipped from the room, Kyoko excused herself to go after him. She found him standing at one of the many windows overlooking the ocean, moonlight streaming through the glass and glittering on the dark waves, and stopped beside him to consider the view.

“It’s a shame the Stardust Road isn’t visible tonight.”

Ryouken smirked. “That would have been a little too good.”

Voices followed them from the kitchen: _Surely he can try a little bit,_ and, _I already said no alcohol until he’s twenty._ Kyoko looked at Ryouken from the corner of her eye.

At eighteen years old, Ryouken should have been thinking about graduating from high school and what he wanted to do afterwards, but she didn’t know when he’d last attended a single class. She held the same concern for Spectre and his total devotion to Ryouken, but at least he had a little more time. Kyoko, Asou, and Genome may have thrown away their futures during the Hanoi Project, but surely these two children shouldn’t bear that loss with them. There must be a way to save them, to guide them back to the normal lives they should’ve had.

“Do you need something, Dr. Taki?” Ryouken was watching, so she shook her head.

“No, everything’s fine.”

“Then if you don’t mind, I’m going to see what Spectre is doing.”

“Of course.” She stayed at the window as he returned to the kitchen. As she watched the shifting waves, the quiet darkness of the room drew close around her thoughts. Dr. Kougami was being kept somewhere in this house, but she couldn’t bring herself to visit the comatose body of her former leader when all that mattered of him lived in the VRAINS now. Did he know what day it was? Would it matter to him if he did?


End file.
